mullet

/ˈmʌlɪt/

//ˈmʌlɪt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"mullet" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mullet” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,147. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,147
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A fish of the family Mullidae (order Syngnathiformes), especially the genus Mullus (red mullets or goatfish).

Corpus desk

Index EN-mullet · mullet · English

mullet · rank #30,147 · 7 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,147
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH MSN

Nearest frequency peer: MSN (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “mullet”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “mullet” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mullet vs muppet
67% similar
mullet vs musket
67% similar
mullet vs mule
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mullet
PropertyValue
Headwordmullet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʌlɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,147
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mullet”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).mulletlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “MSN” (#30,146), “naga” (#30,148), “natures” (#30,149). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mullet” is #30,147. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around mullet (IPA /ˈmʌlɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,147 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mullet, with forms such as "mlulet", "mmullet", and "mulelt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "muppet", "musket", "mule", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English molet, mulett, from Old French mulet (now ‘grey mullet’), from Latin mullus (“red mullet”), from Ancient Greek μύλλος (múllos). The correct English form is mullet, spelled M-U-L-L-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fish of the family Mullidae (order Syngnathiformes), especially the genus Mullus (red mullets or goatfish).
  2. 2
    A fish of the family Mugilidae (order Mugiliformes) (grey mullets).
  3. 3
    Any of several species of freshwater fish in the sucker family (especially in the genus Moxostoma, redhorses)

Etymology

From Middle English molet, mulett, from Old French mulet (now ‘grey mullet’), from Latin mullus (“red mullet”), from Ancient Greek μύλλος (múllos).

Synonyms

haarderspringer

This word in other languages

mújol(Español)mulet(Français)Meeräsche(Deutsch)tainha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mlulet
  • mmullet
  • mulelt
  • mulet
  • mullett
  • mullte
  • umllet

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mullet - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mlulet2mmullet1mulelt2mulet1mullett1mullte2umllet2
Edit distance from "mullet"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mullet"?
"mullet" is spelled M-U-L-L-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌlɪt/.
What does "mullet" mean?
As a noun, "mullet" means: A fish of the family Mullidae (order Syngnathiformes), especially the genus Mullus (red mullets or goatfish).
What words are commonly confused with "mullet"?
"mullet" is commonly confused with "muppet", "musket", "mule". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mullet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mullet" is /ˈmʌlɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "mullet"?
From Middle English molet, mulett, from Old French mulet (now ‘grey mullet’), from Latin mullus (“red mullet”), from Ancient Greek μύλλος (múllos). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mullet", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Mongol#30,141maxima#30,129pagans#30,166lustre#30,124

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Moshe7 variantsMehta7 variantsLovell7 variantspooch7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list